Young Farmer Focus: Alice Allan - 'I take control of feeding the lambs, before commuting to my job'
Alice Allan, 21, is a part-time beef and sheep farmer on her family’s farm in South Ayrshire.
She also works for Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers and is assistant secretary for Ayr and District YFC.
Day-to-day: With lambing and calving now in full swing, an extra pair of hands never goes amiss.
As there is not enough work to keep me and my two older siblings on the farm full-time, we all branched into other areas of the industry.
I now work as an insurance adviser for Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers. But between the three of us, we all still make time to work on the farm.
At lambing time, I take control of feeding the pet lambs, before commuting to my job in Prestwick.
After a day in the office, I will help tend to any ewes and lambs needing assistance, before going back to look after my pet lambs.
We usually calve all-year-round and most of our herd run with Limousin bulls. I register all calves born on the farm and keep the calving books and records up-to-date for my dad, as technology is not his forte.
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Young Farmers: Being a young woman in the farming industry comes with its challenges, but the opportunities the industry has to offer, such as Young Farmers, is something I definitely would not want to miss out on.
Young Farmers has been a huge part of my life since I was 14. It is more than just a social club – it is a learning club.
I am now actively involved in helping young members, sharing knowledge and experiences.
From speechmaking and dairy cattle dressing, I have tried so many things and enjoyed success in competitions, including crafts, beef cattle dressing and stockjudging.
This year, I hope to be part of our club’s girls’ tug-of-war team.
Showing: My favourite aspect of farming life is the show cattle. My sister and I take great pleasure in turning out cattle for summer and winter shows.
We have had a string of successes, taking ‘champion of champions’ at local shows, including overall Charolais-sired champion at Agri-Expo in Carlisle and the Royal Northern Spring Show at Thainstone.
Last year, I was the only Scottish person to compete for the Winter Stock Festival’s Young Stock Person of the Year, where I scooped second prize.
This year, we have another Charolais cross bullock, whose first outing will be the Ayrshire Young Farmers Rally.
Since I was 17, I have been show secretary for Straiton Show.
It is a lot of responsibility, but the committee members are a great help and it gives me delight to see the show growing every year.
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